Not sure if this is beginning to fade or simply not as good as expect. Color is the expected salmon, but the palate lacks some acidity to brighten the fruit. It's not a bad wine, just not what I have come to expect. (90 pts.)

Not sure if this is beginning to fade or simply not as good as expect. Color is the expected salmon, but the palate lacks some acidity to brighten the fruit. It's not a bad wine, just not what I have come to expect. (90 pts.)

James, that wine sells here in Lexington Ky. for nearly $30 per 750Ml bottle. I would be mighty pi$$ed if I purchased one and found what you report. I've been known to go a decade without revisiting a winery's wares after something like that. Yeah, call me a curmudgeon.

Not sure if this is beginning to fade or simply not as good as expect. Color is the expected salmon, but the palate lacks some acidity to brighten the fruit. It's not a bad wine, just not what I have come to expect. (90 pts.)

James, that wine sells here in Lexington Ky. for nearly $30 per 750Ml bottle. I would be mighty pi$$ed if I purchased one and found what you report. I've been known to go a decade without revisiting a winery's wares after something like that. Yeah, call me a curmudgeon.

Tavel Le Mistral 2011 - Sélectionné par SA Louis Mousset - Alc.13.5% - (c.€8), made from Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault & Clairette.The persistent low pressure which gave us a miserably cold and wet May and flooded vineyards in Alsace and Burgundy has now moved east giving the same treatment to the Elbe and Danube basins. Sudden temperatures in the mid-20s C (upper 70sF) caught me short of pink so I rushed out to buy this one at the local delicatessen to accompany a tuna and olive salad. It was a pot lock purchase as I have never heard of the producer.

As usual with Tavel the colour was quite deep and more ruby than salmon, the normal tint in Rosé de Provence. The nose was agreeable with rose hints which carried over onto the medium+ bodied palate. There was more backbone than in many pinks. I have had Tavel which more character, e.g. Mordorée and Aquéria, but the wine successfully performed its summer task. Good 15/20.

I just opened another of my favorites Rose’s from Provence. This is Chateau des Annibals from Coteaux Varois en Provence. This is 60% Cinsault and 40% Grenache done in stainless. Color is light salmon with aromas of white peach and minerals. In the mouth it’s light and delicate, nice acidity and flavors of raspberries & wild strawberries. I think retail in most markets (if you can find it) should be around $20. Look for the gold elephant on the label. Cheers, Gary

Not sure if this is beginning to fade or simply not as good as expect. Color is the expected salmon, but the palate lacks some acidity to brighten the fruit. It's not a bad wine, just not what I have come to expect. (90 pts.)

James, that wine sells here in Lexington Ky. for nearly $30 per 750Ml bottle. I would be mighty pi$$ed if I purchased one and found what you report. I've been known to go a decade without revisiting a winery's wares after something like that. Yeah, call me a curmudgeon.

Dear curmudgeon, I hear you. And, yes $30ish is about right.

My guess is that it is over the hill. Most rosé isn't designed to age, and I probably wouldn't drink one older than 2011 at this point - even Bandol. I have tried the last couple vintages of Tempier, and your notes don't sound typical. Maybe try a 2012 and compare?

Joy, it has not been my experience that wines with decent acidity lose it over time, even in off vintages. Fruit can and does fade, sometimes quickly. But, acid just becomes more of a screeching tooth etching nasty undesirable. I rather expect this wine wasn't real good right out of the gate. I am from Kentucky so I had to throw that little horse racing note in there.

Tavel Les Vallognes 2012 - SCA Jean Olivier, Aquéria - Alc.14% - (c.€10). The mini heat wave is forecast to end tomorrow so we rushed to get in another rosé. Comparing this to the leftovers of yesterday's bottle of Tavel "Mistral" there was remarkably little difference. Colour was slightly lighter and body and backbone slightly greater, perhaps due to the extra alcohol. If my last year's notes are correct it is slightly less expressive than the 2011 but became more so as it warmed up towards 15°C (59°F). I think that these heavier and more "serious" Rhône valley pinks from Tavel and Lirac benefit from being served at around or slightly above "ideal" cellar temperature (said to be 55°F). Good 15/20.

2011 Jean-Luc Colombo, Cape Bleue, Rose': ($11 at Trader Joes, Alcohol level: 12%). This is a lovely wine made from Syrah 40%, Morvedre 40%, and Councise 20%. It is rather complex for this kind of wine; it gives you peaches, rose petals, and spice on the nose and upfront; some more fruit including cherries, raspberries, and licorice or fennel flavors in the middle; and a delightful finish.

2012 Crienne Rose' A glass of this Cinsault blend at a restaurant in Durham, NC with a haystack shrimp appetizer. Very pleasant. Very pale salmon-pink color. Watermelon with a suggestion of cranberry or pomegranate flavors. I couldn't find anything more on this wine online.

I am opening a red wine tonight to go with lamb chop but when that is gone I have Bandol and Tavel rose' waiting and possibly one from southern France that may be past its prime. I also have some Muga Rosado from Spain to open this month.

2010 Edmunds St. John Bone-Jolly Gamay Rosé Witters Vyd was another example of my tendency toward oenogerontophilia. In other words, here's a wine that got lost in the cellar. Nevertheless, it showed its mettle by showing lots of strawberryish fruit with a healthy mineral streak. A bit faded from its former youthful exuberance, true, but still very fresh and light on the palate. It was really a treat with some leftover BBQ on a hot, late Spring evening.

If a wine is fizzy, can it still be a rosé? If it is off-dry, does it still qualify? Who knows? Who cares?

We celebrated a few good professional developments tonight with a bottle of NV J.-P. Brun FRV100 which came out of the bottle -- to our surprise -- a dark pink color. At 7.5% ABV, it is quite refreshing on a hot pre-Summer's eve and has just enough acidity (and little enough RS) to go passingly well with our gluten-free pizza Margherita and salad. As evidenced by the packaging, this is not an overly serious wine or one which gives rise to overmuch contemplation, but as a simple quaffer it functions very well and leaves smiles on both our faces.

I can't decide if I think the name sounds "fun" or "silly" The label turned me off, but they had it open at one of the liquor stores in town, so I gave it a try and came home with a bottle. Those sneaky sales people!

Love Drunk, 2011 by Mouton Noir in Dundee Oregon. No indication of the grapes on the bottle. The color is more salmon than pink-fairly light. Very crisp and acidic-almost like Sweet Tarts. Tart apple. I get a bit of watermelon, though Amy though I was making it up! Very refreshing and surprising. I wonder if there is a white grape lurking in here-it's so crisp and tart. I'm such a cheapskate that I rarely pay more than $15 for any wine, much less a rose, but at $16 this one made me take it home. It was nice with grilled white fish and mixed vegetables-even the asparagus.

PS-as it warms-not so nice. It's really the acidity that drives this wine.

I tried a 2010 Loire rose' which appears to be over-the-hill. I poured it down the drain after one glass.At lunch yesterday at a Gastro Pub in Durham, NC I had a glass of 2010 ALAIN COMBARD "ATMOSPHERE" ROSE' from Provence. Light salmon color with bubbles around the rim of the glass when poured. Hints of grapefruit, watermelon, unripe strawberries and Dr. Pepper. It went pleasantly enough with a Cobb salad but didn't wow me. I am hoping for more from the Bandol or Tavel coming up next. I also picked up a Chateau L'Oupia Minervois rose' while picking up two bottles of Bugey Cerdon at Cave Taureau in Durham. I will probably be retrieving the rose' thread in July and August as I continue to consume more rose' wine over the course of the summer.

2011 Il Feuduccio Cerasuolo Rosé, Abruzzi Italy, 100% Montepulciano, my bottle had a very funky nose, almost brett, other bottle poured was better on the nose. Tad more depth in color here, salt, briny, cherry. Good with salty seafood I think, polarising wine but was quite liked.

2012 Bodegas Sierra Norte Pasion de Bobal Rosé, Valencia. I like the red very much, this was very good. Complex, dry, aromatic, floral, rose petal, red berry, good finish/acidity. One does not see too much Bobal on its own but is used for blending everywhere. QPR!

In my early twenties I used to drink Mateus rose'. The Houchart rose' from Provence is on the wine list at one of my favorite Raleigh restaurants and is sometimes included in wine dinners featuring Provencal dishes.

Bob Parsons Alberta wrote:I was fortunate to be able to assist at a downtown "Drink Pink" tasting at my fave wine store! 30 participants, $25 per head and 7 wines plus a mystery at the events conclusion

2011 Il Feuduccio Cerasuolo Rosé, Abruzzi Italy, 100% Montepulciano, my bottle had a very funky nose, almost brett, other bottle poured was better on the nose. Tad more depth in color here, salt, briny, cherry. Good with salty seafood I think, polarising wine but was quite liked.

2012 Bodegas Sierra Norte Pasion de Bobal Rosé, Valencia. I like the red very much, this was very good. Complex, dry, aromatic, floral, rose petal, red berry, good finish/acidity. One does not see too much Bobal on its own but is used for blending everywhere. QPR!

Mystery wine was the Mateus Rosé! Served as a joke naturally, just terrible.

Bob -

Thank you for the notes. I had a bottle of the 20 Year Old Roxo a few years ago, and it was impressive then. No idea when it had actually been bottled. Unfortunately, Roy Hersh mentioned a year or so ago that it is not being made anyone. Never tried the DSF bottling - glad to hear that you liked it.

Probably the most pricey Rose that I personally have had in the glass. That said the price was fully justified. Cool, persistent, delicious. It hinted at cool fruit juices (plum? watermelon? hipberry*?). Morelish but by no mean stupid. I could see having this in cool weather, though it was perfect on the mild night it was served.

*I just made that up. There is some fruit in there that I couldn't identify and I don't think actually exists.

Mark Lipton wrote:2010 Edmunds St. John Bone-Jolly Gamay Rosé Witters Vyd was another example of my tendency toward oenogerontophilia. In other words, here's a wine that got lost in the cellar. Nevertheless, it showed its mettle by showing lots of strawberryish fruit with a healthy mineral streak. A bit faded from its former youthful exuberance, true, but still very fresh and light on the palate. It was really a treat with some leftover BBQ on a hot, late Spring evening.

Mark Lipton

Mark, in 2010 I bought a case of Steve's 2007 Bone Jolly pink, and held my breath until it arrived and I could taste. I blew that case in about 2 months and wished I had bought tweo cases....if he had had that many. Wonderful wine at 3 vtgs older!

After an extensive search for 2012 Pink Pegau I found some at PLCB store in Scranton. Who would of thought? Anyway, it was sorta worth the search and a pretty good Rose but I wouldn't include it in my top tier. It's pale peach, not much nose and decent flavors in the mouth. I would place it somewhere behind; Annibals, Bargemone, Villa des Anges and Lancyre. Don't expect to find it in MI, OH, KY, or CT (I looked). Cheers, Gary

Gary Kahle wrote:After an extensive search for 2012 Pink Pegau I found some at PLCB store in Scranton. Who would of thought? Anyway, it was sorta worth the search and a pretty good Rose but I wouldn't include it in my top tier. It's pale peach, not much nose and decent flavors in the mouth. I would place it somewhere behind; Annibals, Bargemone, Villa des Anges and Lancyre. Don't expect to find it in MI, OH, KY, or CT (I looked). Cheers, Gary